In the Heat of the Night
by Nightshade1999
Summary: When you are a police officer dedicated to bringing down criminals and your boyfriend is the equivalent of a mobster boss, life gets very complicated. (Rating subject to change)
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: Violent descriptions and drug use.

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Rick Riordan and not myself.

Part One

There is a rumor that the dingy streets of the city are now as close as a person can get to death. Jason disagrees. He has watched partners and coworkers die in front of his eyes, the ways the victims are strewn out like party favors for the vultures, and innocent children get swept into the dreams of being famous only to pledge themselves to the crime rings. No, Jason does not believe they live on the edge, but in the throes of it. Where it is strong and consumes in the dark, hidden behind the large orchestrated city lights and billboards that portray a fantasy land. But, in reality, Jason believes he lives in the breeding place of death. And it's getting to him now, after three months of constant taunts, he's ready to track down Death and give him a piece of his mind. Only, how do you find something that is so omnipresent?

When Jason was growing up under his suppressive parents' watch, he was inquisitive with a keen eye for detail. He always pointed out what he thought was unjust, stood up for the bullied kids, and worked his hardest to make sure everyone was taken care of. His stepmother once told him: "You have the strong qualities of a leader. Use your eye for justice my boy and you will go far." And like any young six year old, he ignored her and continued to play with his Power Ranger Action figures.

A little over fifteen years later, Jason disappointed his parents' hopes for him to enter politics or law. Even Jason surprised himself when he chose law enforcement as his career over a promising profession as district attorney after he turned down the internship his stepmother worked so hard to get him. In the same sense, he preferred a career where his duty and commitment to his community could be demonstrated with personal interactions instead of standing in a courtroom or speaking through the television. No, he was not going to follow his other family members in the same field. But, police work was not as easy as people portrayed it to be. So it should be no surprise when he received the fated call at 10:30 A.M, after his meeting with Reyna about another case. Another case that might go unsolved if he lingered too long with the inspection. Another case that gave a sickening twist to his stomach.

Jason had finished his morning routine. Every morning he performed a morning jog, helped the old Grey sisters with their bags when they got off the senior citizens bus, took a shower, and ate a large breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Then, he would walk briskly and take the subway to his office an hour away in the big SPQR building. He would ride the lift with Frank and enter his office before 8:30 in the morning, working on mundane paperwork and typical housecleaning duties until 9 when he would visit the lab for the latest reports. The characteristic of his days since 2012 had been so dull he had no problem cooperating whole-heartedly in order to have something to do. That is, until three months ago.

Today, Jason stood behind his desk and glared at his sleek iPhone. It had been a habit of his for the past six weeks, awaiting the dreadful call that would either announce a missing person had been found—severely beaten or dead. Those were the only two choices he had and Jason always prayed for the former. God gifted him with the latter with every call. At 10:30, Jason answered the phone that gave a sharp ting and pulled on his suit jacket.

"Jackson, tell me this one is alive." He interrupted whatever introduction the other man may have given.

"You want good news or bad news." His partner continued unfazed.

"Tell me the bad. I'm in the elevator and no one is sharing the ride down with me."

"We found another body stuck in a box outside Mama Cyclops' Grill House. Good news is that we found Gwendolyn Harper."

"Thank God," He sighed in relief. Today was his day.

"She's suffering from some rope burn and dehydration, but she's alright. We'll have to question her later." Jason shook his head. He had no sympathy for those that tortured little girls.

"I'll be waiting in the lab."

"We'll be back in twenty. Waring though, this one is gruesome." Jason hung up and sighed. All in a day's work.

If there was one widely held opinion of the police department after the drug bust of '11, most would say the occupants of the building were overworked, overtaxed, and severely underpaid for their hard work. Not that their opinions did anything. The staff worked around the clock to bring down the violent crime rates that only seemed to escalate after the debacle the press so accurately dubbed the "Titan War". One year after the police brought down the Titan Coterie, one of the largest organized crime gangs in the past fifty years, minor groups banded together to create an even larger network of underground empires.

Now, most of the police department was suffering. Not from praise, but the hyped up demand to capture the groups behind the rising death rate. These accusations were only spurred on by the Apollo Sun, a prominent paper read by only the best of the best. And their lead reporter, Octavian, made sure his readers knew about the current death rate. Thirteen deaths, five missing persons reports, and no leads left everyone on edge. One of his most trusted colleagues, Annabeth suspected it was a new group trying to establish their presence in the gruesome city streets, but all of the actions were untraceable so far. Jason ruled out the possibilities of amateurs. It had to be someone professional. The trail has long gone cold and there were thirteen bodies lying in bags waiting for the next one to join the pile. Jason rubbed his temples and wondered 'when had this job gotten so complicated?'

Jason arrived in the lab nine minutes before Percy, recognizing Annabeth Chase among the lab technicians present. She was wearing her appointed uniform-a pair of royal blue cargo pants, black boots, a blue blouse and latex gloves. She was examining something at the lab station, her hands steadily holding the tweezers as she began to speak.

"Hello Jason." She whispered, intently staring at the mutilated flesh she was examining.

"Annabeth," He greeted. "Percy's bringing in—"

"I already know. Gardner sent me the details. You should tell Percy to hurry up. We know he is kind of slow." She joked and turned around, tearing off the gloves. Jason gave her a tight hug, feeling all the curves from the slight bump around her stomach.

"How's Nemo?" He asked. Annabeth's lips thinned.

"Why did he tell you to call the baby that?" She sighed.

"Because Finding Nemo is the best Disney movie ever made." Percy said as he entered the lab. Two technicians followed in after him carrying a plastic body bag. "Clarisse took Gwen to the hospital and her parents have been contacted."

"Good," Jason said, watching as the body bag was placed on the table. "The press didn't give you a hard time did they?" Snoopy reporters always followed with their cameras and recorders, trying to incriminate, dehumanize, and publicly humiliate any cop, politician or businessman they come across.

"Nope," he popped the 'p'. "I think Reyna raised hell at the Apollo Sun office after the last scandal. We didn't need a repeat for today." A tanned hand stroked through black hair.

"They were too busy at the tarmac." Annabeth supplied. "If either of you read the newspaper, you would know the major story is at JFK and not here. Now, if you want to gossip, do it later." She slapped back on her gloves and opened the bag. The first thing Annabeth did gag.

As he peered into the bag, he could see why Percy told him to be prepared for the body. The past thirteen deaths did not vary in style—all gunshot wounds. They were all staged to look innocent and accidental enough, just nicking a vital artery. But, the difference came with the style of this death. The victim had two bullet wounds to the chest, the blood smeared with dirt over pasty white skin and dark hair matted around her temples. Two slash marks covered her wrists and large finger prints marked where she was strangled. Her head had been smashed in with a large object and her eyes had been gorged out. Jason turned around and covered his mouth.

"The body looks like it was once Khione Wittman. Any reason why?"

"Because it is Khione Wittman. She's been missing for a week." There was a dead Canadian television star in the lab, brutally murdered. This next week was going to be rough.

"That's the third high profile death of the last two weeks. The press is going to be a shit-show." Jason could feel the gray growing into his temples. "I mean, I've seen her face on TV everywhere. How is she connected to any of this?"

"If you all want to speculate outside of my lab, thank you. I need to get to work." Annabeth ushered them out. "And send Kayla." She ordered before shutting the door.

The pair looked back at lab door and moved forward. "Annabeth will possibly have a theory by tonight."

"Yeah, she's Wise Girl. She'll have something put together, I'm sure of it." Jason nodded after Percy's confirmation. She was the smartest woman he knew.

"I'm just so sick of this case. I mean I love work and all, but I don't want to work on something like this. It's too inhumane."

"I agree." Percy paused, before looking at his friend. "Jay, if it gets to be too much, you should take a break. Do something you love. You know Piper came back yesterday from vacation. Maybe you two could—"

"I'm not leaving this case to date my ex-girlfriend!" People looked at the pair and Jason smiled apologetically as they got into the elevator. "I just can't stop now."

"I'm just saying that you don't need to burn yourself out for this. Hedge told us to take off when we got too involved and you seem to be at the tipping point. As long as we are not making substantial headway, you can take a vacation. I mean, when was the last time you took one?" The dark-head started to walk out for his floor, not expecting an answer. "Meet for lunch in another two hours?"

"You got it." Jason nodded and watched the elevator door close on his friend's smile. Then the smile dropped. When was the last time he had taken a vacation?

Hazel held onto the bar and lifted her legs higher. She had dedicated more than sweat, blood, and time to this performance. This would be her creation and presentation to the Paris Opera Ballet. She only needed to perfect her moves—she could do this. Her sister told her she could. ' _One-two-three'_ she counted as she pirouette on the wooden floor. ' _Again'_ she started a third set before lifting into a Grande jeté and landing in a plié. Breathing hard, Hazel stopped and stared at herself in the mirror, the puffiness beneath her eyes and the swollen cheeks and knew she needed to take a short break. She collapsed on the ground, tired and drained after consecutively rehearsing for six hours. She had rented out the room in the studio for six days out of the week, five of those days she would leave early and go to her lessons with Mistress Pasiphaë in Upper Manhattan. Yet, she needed those extra hours to practice her talent and craft it to get into the theatre of her dreams.

After stretching out her sore muscles, Hazel took a long sip from a cold water bottle, hissing as she simultaneously unwrapped the dressing from off her toes. Her big toes were bleeding again from dancing in pointe shoes. She massaged her foot before rewrapping them in gaze and sliding into some flat shoes. Hazel pulled on her yellow pullover and looked at the studio once more, gazing sadly at the mirror. Her mother would never see her dance, but she would always be with her in spirit. She exited the studio, with sore feet and a tired hunch. The life of a dancer.

Her feet made contact with the cool pavement of the sidewalk and she wondered how long she would be able to walk before her feet threatened to fall off, like yesterday or the other day. It was a familiar pain she resigned herself to. Her father continuously questioned her choice to pursue dance and theatre when she could work for the family company. He always forgot she and her siblings refused to be stuck behind a desk and worked hard to show it. Yet, slowly, she knew they would all be pressured into the family business and, despite how much she loved ogling diamonds and listening to music moguls sing, she wanted to dance. The stage made her feel weightless, the leaps felt like flying, and all her worries disappeared. Lost in her thoughts, Hazel almost missed how a tall man in black was tailing her. Almost.

She made her way through the crowds at the same pace, shouldering her bag higher on her arm. The man stayed twenty paces behind her, but Hazel could feel the weight of his eyes behind the black sunglasses. She watched the evening news and read the New York Times. Hazel was hardly as innocent as everyone believed and she knew there was a crazy killer on the loose in New York. And she was not going to be the next victim, she thought determined, as she palmed the pepper spray. Barely over five feet, drowning in a pullover and wearing leggings, the young girl did not look very intimidating.

"It's good to see I trained you well." She turned and saw the man had snuck up on her and took off his shades. She would not have recognized him in black business slacks and the tie on a gray shirt. The sight of familiar eyes and the appearance of an old smirk made her cry aloud with joy.

"Nico! Oh my god, when did you get back?" An exultant shout came from her mouth as she ran toward him and she jumped into his arms. Nico hugged her back, face pressed into her untamed curls.

"I got back two hours ago." He muttered and kissed her hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Hazel went down to the ground again and smiled warmly at him. Then, she slapped his shoulder. "You missed my audition. I made it by the way."

He gave her a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you. I told you that you could do it. Sorry I missed it."

"Persephone recorded it for you." His nose crinkled when she mentioned their stepmother.

"Do you want to go get something to eat?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Lead the way. I haven't been in this district for eighteen months." He waved his hand.

"Yeah, how was the opening? I bet it was huge." Nico flushed a little as she gave him a proud look. Her brother had been gone, opening his own art gallery in Italy. Hazel had been one of the few people to have a glance at his portfolio before he left and she could admit he had some gorgeous pieces.

"When your father is one of the richest men in the world and your grandfather was the Italian ambassador, an art gallery is bound to get crowded, even in Venice." He picked up her bag and she held onto his arm as they walked in the crowded street.

"So, they loved it?" Nico rubbed through his curly locks and nodded.

"Papi said I should open a showcase here in New York, but it would be very expensive and I would need more pieces."

"Ask Father to pay for it. He would be more than willing." Nico snorted.

"He wants me to take over the business. Why do you think I'm back in the states? Besides visiting you, of course."

Hazel frowned deeply. "He's already convinced you to take the job, didn't he?" She knew that her brother and their father had some difficulties communicating, especially after Maria's death. But she wouldn't push on why he accepted. She would just wait this one out. It was the smartest plan she had at the moment.

Again, Nico nodded. His eyes were solemn and cold, an anger brewing beneath deep chocolate irises.

"It's just training and learning some aspects for now. He said I can keep my art and volunteerism as long as I pick up the company at twenty-five."

"That only gives you four years." She noted. He shrugged.

"I'm already working on one avenue. Another is not going to hurt." Together they walked, his shades covering his eyes and her hair falling in her face. Perhaps that was why the paparazzi could only get obscure pictures of the siblings. Because life was just fated to get in the way of everything. Or, as Hazel believed, Hadrian Michel was allowed to manipulate all aspects of their lives.

Jason returned from lunch with Percy, waiting for something to do. Instead, he worked on paper work, declining invitations to visit the family, and organizing patrols. He continued the monotonous work until Clarisse La Rue entered his office. She told him that Reyna required his presence in her office. Jason had been hoping for good news. Now, he was not so sure he wanted to stay.

"So we are just going to let him go!" Jason shouted as he entered his boss's office. He had heard the whispers on the way there about how their only possible lead would be leaving.

"He called in his lawyer and Janus made a big show of highlighting that we cannot keep him in custody for more than forty-eight hours if we can't press charges against him." Reyna growled back, glaring at a file in front of her. On a normal day, Jason could honestly admit he was glad to be working under such a firm and strict leader, who was more than willing to crack down on the growing gang problem.

"Then tell Annabeth to start piecing this train wreck together. We need something to charge him with." Jason sighed. "He is our biggest lead in this case and I can't lose him to some half-crazed bi-polar lawyer." Even after arresting one of the biggest possible gang associates and, by extension, a key informant, the police still had nothing. And Miles Crotone was about to be released from prison.

"And Chase is working as hard as she possibly can right now." Reyna rolled her eyes. "Good news is Janus left around 4:45 for another appointment." She gave him a look from the corner of her eye.

Jason just gave her a blank and unamused look. That had been approximately thirty minutes ago.

"Without his client might I add," Reyna stood from her desk and made her way to the door, giving Jason a predatory smile. "She just came back from vacation, but I believe she can do it. I sent McLean to glean some information. Want to go watch?"

Jason looked up, a crooked grin lifting the corner of his mouth. Ms. Piper McLean was one of the best they had for interrogations. The woman was capable of coaxing any piece of information she wanted from anyone's mouth. It was her secret trade and she was wicked.

Miles Crotone sat impassively in his chair in the interrogation room. He was very tall, an imposing figure with a pointed goatee and some gray hair around the temples that established a distinguished look. The only factor that made him remotely unattractive was the cruel, cold eyes that glittered as he looked around the room. Crotone was a business man used to making underhand deals and meeting with crooked cops. He was used to dealing with them, mostly men. But, he was about to face someone unlike any other. The woman pulled down her cream knee-length skirt, unbuttoned her white jacket, and fixed her lilac blouse. She nodded to herself. She was ready.

Miles glared at nothing with little interest until a beautiful woman entered the room. Her makeup was tasteful, attire modest, and she seemed to convey a shred of professionalism. She seemed so different from the scanty whore that got him arrested a little over a day and a half ago. Crotone had yet to discover how to explain the situation to his daughter, but he was not fully worried in the slightest. Janus promised to get him out and that was all he had to do.

"Hello, Mr. Crotone." She said formally. The woman sat down in the chair in front of him. "Your release papers are being signed as we speak."

"I refuse to answer any questions without my lawyer." He pursed his lips. The woman only smirked. Through the window, Jason remembered that smirk. It meant she was getting started.

"Of course Mr. Crotone. However, my superiors and the officer in here earlier forgot to mention we have something to charge you with. There seems to have been an incident involving the kidnapping of a man called Daedalus and the subsequent death of his son under the pen name 'Icarus'. And your name is written all over it." Piper patted herself on the back as Crotone's eyes flashed dangerously. His lips drew in tight for a second.

"I had nothing to do with that."

"I'm sure you do. They were trapped in your basement." She watched as he pale significantly.

"I told you that I am not going to answer questions." He responded.

"Look Miles, it is just you and me." She leaned over the table. "No one is on the other side of the glass and there aren't any recorders on my person. So, I will offer you a deal. You tell me about the cause of criminal activity and I won't mention anything about 'Daedalus'." Piper arched an eyebrow as the man considered it. He nodded, his features stoic and cynical. She smiled sweetly.

"So, start talking. We have less than fifteen minutes and I would be more than please to get substantial information about the gang's whereabouts." She leaned back in her seat, hitting the button on the recorder hidden in her lap.

"Miles said they're gathered at the Underworld." Piper said as she left the room, pushing her short hair behind her ear.

"I'm impressed. You are the first to make him crack." Reyna praised.

"I make everyone crack sooner or later." Piper exhaled. "Hello, Jason."

"Piper," He said cordially. "So, let's investigate the Underworld."

"We can't tonight. It would be awfully strange to have police crash the scene shortly after interrogating a member of a secret society."

"Well, we can't just sit and do nothing." Jason argued.

"No, we won't." Reyna agreed. "Do not wear the uniform and we'll go. Bring Jackson, La Rue and Zhang for backup." The tall Puerto Rican woman walked away. "And, Grace, wear those faded skinny jeans you have hidden in your closet."

Piper turned to him. "She knows what is in your closet?"

"We used to date." Uninterested in having a conversation, he started toward the door.

"Are we ever going to talk about it?" She called out.

"It's all you ever want to talk about when I'm around. I told you already. I'm over it. I'm done."

"Well, I am not done. You never gave me a true reason." Piper intercepted him, ignoring his irritation, and walked beside him. "Have dinner with me next Friday."

"I told you we are not going out again."

"And I never asked your opinion. We're going to out to talk, as friends and nothing more. You can calm down." She patted his cheek and then kissed it. "I missed you and I think we need to catch up. I'll see you later tonight."

-  
The Underworld was located as a bridge between the upper ends of society and the dredges it left behind. Jason and his friends often visited the Olympia instead of this venue, but he was familiar with club set ups. However, this was very different.

Instead of the golden colored walls and the bright lights that made the atmosphere relaxed, the walls were a deeper, darker color. Black lights bounced around the room while white ones illuminated cage dancers and those occupying the dance floor. The bar was aligned toward the center, going around in a square with televisions playing above. The Underworld was a mix between a dance club and an average bar, with waiters going to serve people seated in the upper level. It was so spread apart that each officer got their own assigned position.

Currently nursing a gin and tonic mixture for his nerves, Jason glanced suspiciously around the area. The mixologist behind the bar was serving some patrons that did not look shady. If anything, Jason might have been considered unusual due to his attire—simple jeans, a white V-neck, and a plaid shirt. The rest of the patrons were milling about. Jason was not exactly sure how much information they would be able to recover tonight or if Piper could confirm Crotone's statement.

"You look good." Reyna said as she slid into the seat next to him. "But you shouldn't be drinking on the job." She admonished. Unconsciously, he checked her appearance. A simple French braid, short black dress and heels with dark makeup to match. If Jason was still dating her, he would be jealous.

"This is a club. Unofficially, I'm not working a lick." He downed the rest of his glass and motioned for another one.

"But officially, you shouldn't be drunk. You're our sober driver." Reyna joked. "I saw you talk with Piper. What happened?"

Reyna never seemed to care that she was his ex-girlfriend or that one of her coworkers dated her ex either. She moved on like it was old news and acted as his relationship coach. Sometimes he wondered why he could not have more people like Reyna in his life. The brunette woman tossed her braid over her shoulder, the lower strands pulled free from her dress strap.

"She wants to go out again." He muttered.

"On a date?" She questioned.

"As friends." Reyna looked at Jason surprised.

"Last time she said that, you two got back together for six months. Ready for a try again?"

"Hell no, I need a break." Jason tossed back another shot.

"Well, since you are off clock," Reyna gazed around. "Maybe you will meet another girl to bring home to the folks. There's a big crowd coming in now, so I'm going back to the dance floor." She leaned down to his ear. "Don't worry. McLean is upstairs." She stalked away.

Soon enough, the club was filled to the brim. For someone who had never been in the Underworld, Jason was surprised it could be so full. People milled about and started dancing on the stage. Jason lost visual of Reyna, but continued watching everyone run about and enjoy themselves. Although the atmosphere was different, it felt much like the Olympia. Jason let himself smile a little before going back to his drink.

A slender figure sat down two seats away from him. They waved at the mixologist with a single, pale finger. The person was wearing black jeans, a chain attached to his belt, and an aviator jacket. Long wavy hair covered the face.

"You should take a picture. It would last longer." The other person spoke, a male voice husky and accented. He turned around then and Jason reminded himself to breathe. It was like looking an angel in the face. Wide chocolate eyes, curved and plump pink lips, and a button nose. Jason's heart stuttered and Jason was glad the light enough to cover his blush.

"Sorry," He looked away.

"Don't apologize." The guy shook his head. "First time here?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "You?"

The other man turned toward him and smirked. "No."

Jason raised a single eyebrow. "Really, you look like you're used to it. Including the—"He gestured vaguely to the cages at the top.

"I've been frequenting this place since I had an I.D. So, yeah, I'm used to it." The man laughed, and Jason had never heard such an enthralling sound.

"Can I buy you a drink?" The words flew from his mouth before he could stop them and he really wanted to take it back.

"Sure. I've spent six months without American alcohol. I guess I can break the habit." The younger man left his seat and sat next to him. The bar was crowded by this time, people reaching over for drinks and various waiters racing around to get orders.

"Hey Nate, this guy is buying my drink!" The man yelled at the bartender. Another male, somewhat taller than Jason, walked over and smirked.

"Back for one night and you already got a guy in your pockets. Your sister would be ashamed of you, Nico." Nate shook his head fondly.

"I think she's a little occupied." He turned over to where Frank was dancing with a shorter black girl under the spotlight.

"You gonna let him hold her waist like that?" Nate was shaking a strange concoction of vodka, coke, and tequila.

"That's not American." Jason said dubiously.

"Never meant it to be." Nico, he knew his name now. And did it fit. "Everyone knows imports are the best." Jason gave him a shocked face.

"American is the best."

"Personally, the best hardcore liquor is in Russia, but European is more suited to my tastes."

"So where does tequila fit in it?" Jason leaned in. Nico licked his dry lip before whispering "It gives it an extra kick." Nate set two highball glasses in front of them. The drinks were garnished with a lime wheel, with a pink umbrella for Nico.

"To new friends?" Nico questioned, raising his glass for a toast.

"New friends." Jason laughed. "Cheers." The liquid burned down his throat and he was coughing and spluttering before finishing the glass. Nico's face was red, eyes leaking with unshed tears. Jason wondered what other ways Nico's face would turn red, but mentally slapped himself for thinking that way.

"I am so out of practice." Nico threw his head back to finish his glass. "You might have to buy me some more." He grinned, teeth sharp and lips pink and Jason felt himself nodding along. The night passed in a blur of drinks, an odd variety of colors and admiring everything about Nico's appearance.

"That was fun!" Nico slurred as they made their way from the dance floor. He tugged the taller man's hands to the farthermost part of the dance floor. They fit into the sea of bodies and Jason stumbled to follow. He did not down as many drinks as Nico, but he was feeling the strong haze, the lazy muscles, and the loopy grin spreading on his face every time the younger man talked. He was undeniably attracted to the prettiest thing in front of him. So, drunk and idiotic, Jason leaned down to rasp in Nico's ear.

"We can have more fun. Just come home with me." The shorter man looked up and a devilish smirk crossed his face.

"When do we leave?"

Around three in the morning, Nico emerged from the bedroom, reeking of sweat, sex, and cologne. Barely more than eight hours in the country and he had managed to bed someone. What was his life?

He had left the blond man, Jason he had learned, in the bed, knocked out and softly snoring underneath blue sheets. The one bedroom apartment was tastefully decorated, but lacked any personal decorations. Stale pictures of friends and family were stacked on shelves and artwork most likely bought from Pier 1 were placed strategically around the living room. Even the bedroom seemed to be bare of anything signifying that Jason enjoyed his home. Nico shook his head. It was a little disappointed, but Nico had yet to decorate his own apartment so he shouldn't be complaining.

Nico pulled on his clothes just in time to catch the dull tone of a ringtone.

"Hello?"

"We need you to come in. We found him." Nico nodded on the other end, even if no one say him.

"Thank you. I will be there shortly." Nico opened the door to the apartment and looked around once more. The other guy wouldn't possibly miss him at all. It was not like he could afford a private life at this time. He had too many personal issues to sort through first. Nico shut the door behind him, leaving behind a good opportunity.

"Look up!" Sharp light met gaunt flesh and Minos opened his eyes. He was tied to a chair, hands and feet dead bolted to a metal chair. A lamp was hanging precariously in the black room. Thanatos, his second-in-command, was standing over him, leering. Several of the Death Syndicate members were staring around the room, just staring at him. He had been making his way home from a night at the Delphi, when he had been tackled. Now he was here, bound and tied like a criminal like the very people he worked for. The metal door opened and the first thing Minos heard was the pounding of boots on the linoleum.

"I leave you in charge for four months and you manage to almost destroy my organization." The voice was rough, but it was also tempered as if the man was holding back his anger.

"I haven't done anything." Minos denied.

"Are you sure? Thirteen or fourteen deaths in the past three months alone. That doesn't have my name written on it." The prince was not satisfied. If anything, he was implicating a lot.

"I never orchestrated those kills. You should release me." He couldn't see the face behind the mask, but everyone could feel the coldness seeping from the masked man. Minos only chose ten to die, but who was truly counting. "Does Hades know that you are interrogating his favorite—ah!" His sentence was cut off by a sharp punch to the face, the brass knuckles breaking skin and bone. Minos could feel his nose bleeding profusely.

"The question wasn't answered. Stop deflecting. If I had it my way, you would have been gone a long time ago for what you did to my sister. But father kept you for a reason, but your usefulness has expired." The brass knuckles came off and a smaller figure approached, giving the Prince a tray of medical utensils.

"You sold out our hideout to the very people we don't want there. You gave away secrets to detectives, not to mention Janus. And Hades is very displeased with you. But, before we dispose of you, we can make this a little fun." He perched himself on a stool in front of Minos and cold hand forced his chin up.

"I have a few toys and you get to choose which one you want to be acquainted with." Mino's dark eyes widened with fear. On the tray was a scalpel, a knife, tweezers, and forceps. "You have ten seconds to choose or I will choose for you."

"No, no, no please!"

"Five seconds."

"I swear I didn't do anything. Nothing happened when I met with Augustus. Please! I have a wife and child."

"You have a whore and innocent daughter that is happily married to a better man than you will ever be." The prince cut him off and grasped the forceps. "Just remember Minos, I am the Ghost King." And then, the Ghost King threw back the stool, two members came forward and pulled Minos back in the chair, triggering the reclining function.

"I suggest you spill all that you know."

They had to clean up. The Ghost King was covered head to toe in blood, Minos's blood to be exact. The carcass had been disposed of by Melinoe and her pets. Minos's eyes and nails had been swept away into a basin and he felt as though he had killed Ice Princess all over again.

"You were very intimidating today." Thanatos complimented. He was older, an advisor and model to look at for the business.

"I don't take traitors very well." He shrugged and wondered how he would clean off his boots or out of his suit. "Had a message to send to everyone."

"So you made is graphic enough to look like Khione's death. Clever, but you do know that none of us killed Khione."

"She had it coming. No offense, but she was lying to Boreas and herself if she thought no one was going to catch her trying to ally with Augustus to take over the city's narcotic trade, especially in this area. Everyone knows that it is yours." Thanatos gave a toothy, but creepy smile.

"You ready to take over from here." The Ghost King smirked.

"I've been pulling the strings for the past six months in order to get Minos in trouble. I think I can takeover."

"So, who's next on the list of potential victims?"

"I'm going after the ones who killed my sister. Then, I'm taking their business." Thanatos nodded, knowing enough about the younger man to not question his logic.

"Oh, and I need you to add someone to the list."

"Who?"

"Jason Grace."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to the overwhelming positive response, I will be continuing with this AU. Updates will be infrequent, but long in order to make up for my absences. This chapter does contain 'Easter Eggs' and give away a lot of plot if you look closely enough. Do you think you can spot them all?**

 **Disclaimer: There characters belong to Rick Riordan.**

Jason woke up alone, face smashed into his pillow, blanketed in purple sheets and a gray comforter. It had been a long time since he last had a one-night stand. Three years ago, he made the mistake of sleeping with a woman named Medea and it had been the worst mistake of his life. She had been a clingy vixen still attached to her ex-husband who had the same name. And she did not understand the message of 'not interested'.

He disentangled himself from the sheets, yawning and groaning at his pounding headache. The ache in his head was only coupled by the shine of the sun from his window. Jason moved a pillow over his head, until he heard the beeping. His phone was vibrating on the nightstand and he reached over, graphing the sleek device in his right hand. The glaring digits of 10:15 flashed in front of his face and shocked Jason out of his sleep. Oh shoot! He was late.

Jason arrived at iHOP ten minutes late. He hoped no would notice his pathetic disguise consisting of a purple Camp Jupiter hoodie and black shades. It was part of their tradition to meet at the restaurant every Saturday for brunch, at a feasible time of 11:00. Usually, Jason arrived ten minutes early, with enough time to read the paper and greet everyone before they descended into sociable foolishness.

His friends were already seated, various greetings already exchanged in favor of discussing their week. A table and a booth had been squeezed together for fit the party of fourteen, fifteen now that he was here. Annabeth and Percy were being disgustingly cute as always, holding hands and displaying all sorts of affectionate titles. His sister was picking her fingernails, which was never a good sign. Her face was in a permanent scowled as she sneered at Leo, who was probably making some joke about her 'No-Man' pact. Piper was sitting next to her, making small talk with Calypso, Leo's girlfriend of seven months. The group seemed almost oblivious to his arrival. That is, until Leo decided to make a scene.

"Look who finally decided to _grace_ us with his presence!" Almost thirty eyeballs swiveled to his position in the middle of the isle. Jason scowled at the pun using his last name and sat next to Percy, ignoring the others as they giggled.

"I'd say someone had a good night, but there is a high chance he didn't." Jason threw off his shades, revealing red eyes and dark shadows. Percy winced in sympathy.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Frank asked tentatively. Jason did not trust his voice that much, so he shook his head.

"Then who kept you up at night?" Leo leered.

"Leo, leave him alone." Calypso slapped his arm. "Hello Jason, I'm glad you finally arrived."

"He should at least be here on time. This is his idea." Clarisse grumbled.

"Shut up La Rue." Reyna leaned over the table and tucked a finger under his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "He's just a little hungover. Some food will do him some good."

"Just order me a black coffee or let me die in peace." Jason whined and laid his head down on the table, his hood effectively covering his skin. He really did not need their loud voices echoing in his eardrums. Thalia snickered when the waitress came over, but complied with his request.

With orders taken and menus passed up, the entire group settled into pleasant and easy conversation. Tyson, Percy's younger half-brother, and Ella, his girlfriend, were going on a trip to Egypt to translate hieroglyphs. They were joining the famed Kane duo, Carter and Sadie, two experienced siblings who spent their life researching Ancient Egyptian culture. Travis had convinced Katie to join him in a trip to the Grand Canyon for their anniversary in a few months. However, Rachel had the most interesting news.

"I'm having a party soon and I would love if you all could attend." The red-head gave them a laidback smile.

"A party?" Thalia leaned forward. "Are we allowed to get plastered?"

"First off, no, it is not that kind of party." Rachel shook her head. "Secondly, it's more of a gala and a welcome back party than a simple 'let's get drunk tonight' event. I'm unveiling my piece for my senior project. I want you all to attend."

"Sounds cool," Annabeth nodded her head. "Who's the guest of honor?"

"Well, you'll never believe this." Rachel started with a twinkle in her eye. "Apparently, di Angelo touched down in New York yesterday."

"He's back!" Percy asked, looked at her with a confused expression. "I thought he left the country for good."

"I did too. But Will insisted he was back and he needed to hang out with friends, but my father would only allow it if he could show off my pieces to his colleagues. Hence, the black tie status."

"Who is di Angelo?" Piper asked confused.

"He was this weird creepy kid that used to follow Percy and Annabeth around like a kicked puppy." Thalia took a deeper sip of her orange juice. "I was under the impression that he didn't like you."

"We both share a passion for art. Plus, Hazel already told me that he opened his own gala in Venice not too long ago. I need to speak to him about inspirational pieces."

Her conversation was interrupted by the appearance of food. They were fifteen minutes into their meal, knives grating across shiny plates through waffles, pancakes, French toast, and, in some cases, lunch food, when Annabeth asked the question.

"Well, what leads did you all get?" She pushed her empty plate at Percy. "The baby wants more pancakes. Give me some of yours."

"Interestingly enough, there wasn't a lot of information to recover. The bartender knew nothing, a few waiters were equally oblivious, but I did find out that Miles Crotone was seen entering the Apollo Sun last night from a few chatty parties. Apparently he isn't very liked at Underworld." Reyna shrugged. "Although, I think the boys did not do anything."

"I was watching out for Frank. This guy was got lost in the crowd." Percy amended as he slid his pancake onto Annabeth's plate.

"I think we all could see him." Piper scoffed.

"No, he was busy romancing his girlfriend." Chris laughed.

"I do not have a girlfriend." Frank blushed. "She dragged me onto the dance floor and I couldn't say no. I don't even know her name."

"Poor baby," Clarisse sniggered. "What about you Jason? You've been quiet so far."

"I don't have anything to say." His answer was muffled by the thick fabric of his hoodie. The others looked at him puzzled until Thalia huffed and yanked back Jason's hood hard enough to pull out a few strands of hair. He let out a curse and looked up with a pained expression. His friends were in various states of shock—some laughed while others were simply trying to process.

"Holy cow, Jason! Did you get mauled on the way here?" Leo joked at the sight of red hickeys now visible on his skin. Jason glared at his friends.

"Well, now we know what Jason did last night." Grover shook his head. "I thought you were the responsible one."

"Shut up." He growled.

"So, what was her name?" Juniper pressed.

"I don't know." Jason did not bother to correct them. As far as they knew, he was only interested in the opposite sex and he had no interest in coming out while hung over and sore.

"Apparently, the women were the only ones doing their jobs." He could feel the weight of Piper's eyes on his skin and focused on his food. "I overhead a man talking to someone behind the curtain on the upper floor. There's a shipment coming to the 'Throne Room' in a month, wherever that is. Whether its drugs or weapons, I don't know. We could stake out the area later. Although, I hope some of us don't get distracted by carnal pleasures." Piper muttered the last part under her breath, but he knew. So Jason threw done some money from his wallet and stood, throwing his hood back over his eyes.

"Great. I'm taking this back to the office." Jason muttered. "I got some work to catch up on and I'm embarrassing you by staying."

"Wait, Jay— "

"Stop Piper, we clearly heard you." Jason turned on his heel and walked toward the door. The minute his hand touched cool steel, a hand perched itself on his shoulder.

"What?" Rachel smiled mournfully.

"I can't rationalize what she said, but— "Rachel broke off. "I can understand where she is coming from. She's just a little jealous. Piper just needs to get used to the fact that the two of you are no longer together." She offered a shy glance at his face and then reached into her purse. She procured a thin golden envelope, an invitation to her gala. "There is a plus one in there if you want to bring your girlfriend. I'm not going to pressure you to, but I really want you to attend." She gave him one last smile and walked away.

Jason stared down at the envelope in his hand. He broke the corners and pulled out a thin sheet of paper. The sheet was adorned with silver trails and green italics resting over the majestic image of a willow tree hanging over a pond. This was only a sample of Rachel's artwork, but it was simplistic and eerily complex with the mix of colors. He sighed, knowing he would be forced to endure a night of wining and dining with famous politicians in order to support his friend. Hesitantly, he nodded. He would attend. What was the worst that could happen?

There was some inconvenience that came with being an artist. Sometimes the paint dries before you finish blending the colors together. Other times the lines are too old or too faint to make a distinction between the dynamic levels of the piece. And sometimes, more often than not and the most troublesome of the three options, you run out of inspiration before your pencil hits the canvas paper.

Nico rubbed the delicate arch of his nose with pale fingers. His piece was, undeniably, a mess. The edges were too glaring and sharp, not smooth and gentle like he envisioned. The black framing clashed with the grey contours of the ghosts and any attempts made to correct the error stood our grievously in an unconceivable light. The wooden oak was too dark and the sky was too light to signify the land of the life versus the living. It wasn't coming together the way he wanted it to, so Nico shelved the project and covered it with a cloth to be destroyed later. He would try again with a different piece. Then, he turned his attention to his sketchbook, looking for new ideas. Toward the back, he found a folded piece and opened it, feeling his heart tug at the design.

He had sketched this one, drunk on sad sentiment, bourbon and cheap wine after a long seven-hour shift convincing an unbelieving board of his readiness to run the company. Not that he was enthused enough. But he learned a valuable lesson in all of his twenty-one years—if you tell the same lie every day, one day you will grow to believe it. His father had left him alone to win over the executives, and Nico had, eventually, but he hated interacting with the schmoozers and kiss-ups that carried out his every whim. The only saving grace he had was that the private office with the large glass window that overlooked Central Park.

His sketch was impressive, for a drunken attempt. It looked more like a photograph than lines, embodying too much of his essence. And the most surprising part—it was a drawing involving him. Most of the time, Nico hated staring at himself in the mirror. With creamy pale skin that bruised too easily and constant bags that he habitually blamed on jet lag, Nico hardly thought he was the nicest person to look at in the morning. Yet, now he had a reason to enjoy staring at the expanse of skin the delicate features he inherited from his mother and the harsh masculinity he inherited from his father. Those dark eyes were locked on some golden halo of light, hands wrapped precariously around the neck of the other man, and a smile on his lips. His face was barely there compared to the other man, Jason Grace, who was the main event. The strong arms, impressive jawline, and Nico involuntarily shuddered at how he had recaptured him. Nico closed the book, sighing softly as he was done admiring what was once, and pushed the notebook into his duffel bag. With that, he exited his studio and locked the door.

Nico had been in the states for almost a month now. His days were long and drawn out due to meeting various board members, learning all he could about each industry, and trying to balance his lack of a private life. His father was a lucrative businessman with his hands in more industries than Nico bothered to count on a regular day. He did not have enough fingers, time, or patience to do the math, but he knew one thing. He was not looking forward to managing the industry. There was one aspect of coming back to the city that he loved.

When he was twelve years old, and Percy and Bianca had long forgotten about him, Nico invested him spare time to hanging out with children at the SPQR center. It was a center dedicated for caring for the underprivileged kids in society, those who did not have anywhere else to go but the streets. School would not start again for another month and some families were too poor to provide lunch and summer activities for their children. So, Nico would take the subway for a 50-minute ride into Bed-Stuy. His own childhood had seemed so bleak in comparison that he actually enjoyed the ride, without supervision from any of the older kids. When he was older, he started to bring Hazel with him. Now that he was an adult, he still went to play with the younger kids and make donations to get better furniture, equipment, and toys.

In his paint flecked white sweat pants, black tee-shirt covered by a jean jacket and his hair in a loose man-bun, Nico looked the part of a regular hipster. Very different from his clean cut suit attire that he wore to work on a regular day. He ambled down three blocks until he reached a coffee shop. Inside his sister was seated at the window, twisting a spoon in her drink.

"Hazel, what are you doing here?" She looked up and gave him a warm smile as he slid into the seat across from her.

"I came by your apartment today." Hazel slowly stirred her tea with a cautious manner. Her eyes scanned his paint covered hand, charcoaled hands, and the sudden light flooding his eyes. "You were not there so I decided to come here."

"I was at the studio today. Thought I would work on something." He said.

"Think you might let me see some today." He shook his head and Hazel pouted in fake disappointment. "You are no fun."

"I never let you see anything until it's finished." She tapped his foot with her own. "What, no practice today?"

"Surprisingly no. My mentor's daughter is getting married today, so class was canceled. I'm pigging out." Hazel gestured to the tea she was nursing and an untouched croissant. "Alright, I had a Dunkin Donut, too. You can eat that." She pushed the plate at him and he gratefully accepted.

"First thing I had to eat today." He hummed as he bit into it and chocolate oozed out into his mouth.

"Nico, you can't just ignore your basic necessities for your job." She was exasperated by his nonchalance.

"I could say the same about you, but I am monitoring myself. You know I barely have time for anyone at all right now and I'm finally getting some free time back. I would prefer we go out tonight, just the two of us." Hazel nodded noncommittedly and stood from her seat and slid next to him. She twisted herself around him, the heels of her feet digging into his thigh and her head resting on his shoulder.

"We should have a spa day. My feet ache. You'll have to call Jules Albert to take me to the studio."

"You should take a break from the dancing before you hurt yourself." Nico snorted.

"And you should stop stressing about the company. Father will take care of it. How's it going by the way?" Hazel asked through gritted teeth.

"Unfortunately, it has been very unentertaining. The board finally accepted me, Father seems comfortable enough to leave me some work but it's mostly paperwork and ambiguous merger forms. I can convince Seph to come in from her vacation with her mother to pick up some of her files, but she hasn't seen Demeter for two years." He sighed dramatically and leaned into her curly hair. "Oh Hazel, can we get a seaweed wrap and a facial in addition to the foot rub? I need to feel refreshed after wearing three piece suits all week."

"Yes you bugger." She flicked his forehead and he huffed.

"You are no fun."

"Tis' the motto of a business man." She smirked and extracted herself from him. It made Nico think about the time she was hesitant to call him her brother when they first met.

"You are not funny." He sighed. "You should relax more though; I know you will be perfect. Just be calm and everything will be fine."

"I'm dancing to Bianca's composition." She blurted out and Nico stopped, his head entering a fuzzy haze.

"Which one?" His voice sounded strange and far away.

"The last one." Nico nodded solemnly and pulled Hazel into a hug.

"You're going to stun them." Hazel kissed his forehead in response.

"Look who it is, the two people I wanted to see." The two looked up from their seat to see Will Solace smiling at them. Solace was, as Nico put it, a stubbornly annoying man with the mentality of a ten-year-old adolescent. He was also a brilliant physician and one of the few people Nico trusted.

"Hi Will." Hazel leaped up to wrap her arms around the taller man's neck and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Why haven't you come by the manner lately?"

"First off, neither you nor Nico are there, so what's the point. As much as I like Bob, I can only hold so many conversations with the guy before I wonder where I can find the two of you at. For once, it is in public." Will grinned, flashing pearly whites like a class A politician. Nico rolled his eyes and waved at the empty booth across from them.

"Well, go on Solace. Take a seat. We are dying to hear about everything you have to say." Will casually reclined into the leather furniture and hummed in content.

"Rachel is throwing a party and I, we, would like it if you both attended." Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"Why tell us about it now? You could have sent an invitation in the mail."

"And knowing your brother's track record, if I did such a thing, I would never get a reply." Nico bristled.

"That is not the case and you know it. I don't want to be hounded by the paparazzi. I managed to keep my return under wraps and I prefer to keep it that way."

"And some people would prefer to know that you are back." Will opened his coat and pulled out an envelope. "This is the address and I expect you there at 7:30 p.m., no excuses or so help me I will get Lou and Cecil to kidnap you."

Hazel giggled as Nico groaned, but accepted the invitation.

"Tell me, how does Rachel put up with you?"

"Oh, Ray loves me." Will winked.

"I guess we know where we are going tonight." Hazel bumped Nico's shoulder and the other man scowled.

"Alright, but we are having spa day first before you put on any heels."

It was surprising when Jason arrived at Lotus for Rachel's party. The Lotus Hotel had been booked out by multiple parties, paparazzi and reporters eagerly waiting to take pictures of the world's elite class entering the same venue. The ballroom had been renovated into a classy space, clear light flooded down from the chandelier and the spiral staircase led up to the exhibit. The stage was occupied by a band playing light jazz, nothing too crazed for the older population to throw a frenzy, and waiters worked their way around the floor, bring hors d'oeuvres to the various guests standing on the floor.

He stood near the middle of the floor, surrounded by his colleagues and friends who provided a makeshift buffer between himself and the crowd. As son of the governor of New York and a police officer, Jason always found himself in more headlines than he could count. If only he had a scandalous lifestyle that the trash magazines could craft a story out of without it seeming too outlandish.

"This is stupid." Thalia muttered. Somehow, her friend Phoebe had convinced her to wear a dress. The ensemble consisted of a floor length purple dress with the tips of her combat boots peeking out, sort of like a promise that she would still retain her own style.

"We're here to support Rachel. It's not stupid, it's worth it." He muttered.

"Still stupid." She replied. "Where's Hylla?"

"Your girlfriend will be here soon. She had some work to take care of back at the office." Reyna replied smoothly. Reyna was wearing a simple black pants suit, her hair wrapped up in a bun out of her face. When the woman tried, she could look very beautiful, not that she was not pretty already.

"Thank you so much for coming!" Rachel squealed as she came down to greet them. "I didn't know it would be this crowded." She apologized.

"No worries." Percy waved her off. "When does the exhibit open?"

"In another hour. I have to go around and greet the guests, but I'll find you by the end of the night." She gave them each a quick hug before rejoining the mass of bodies.

Once she left, Jason was once again surrounded by his friends, and by extension, happy couples. It was not as if Jason hated being in relationships; it was quite the opposite. However, he had been worn down by choosing the same type of woman—someone kind, but intelligent, and very far out of his league. His relationship with Reyna had been cut short by work obligations and Piper was too ambitious, too clingy, and far too jealous. In a way, he broke off their relationship because it was staring to resemble his father's and stepmother's. Jason was not desperate enough to sink to that level. He politely excused himself, and only managed to walk so far away before he saw Helen.

Helen Sanford was a proud woman of an intimidating inclination. She was as shrewd as she was cunning, always finding a way to promote her children positively in the spotlight and humiliate those of a lesser status who did not fit her idea of a perfect family. His sister was one of many that had been removed from the house due to her 'vile and disruptive' behavior and because she was the product of affairs. There were times when Jason wondered why he was never kicked out, but he had always been one of her favorites.

His stepmother stood out in the crowd a way that no other woman could. Her black hair was cut in an elegant fashion, a variation of the 'mom haircut' that ended at her shoulder, and her makeup was immaculate. She was modeling the latest piece of the Aphrodite line by designer Alana Reed, Piper's mother. Knowing that she had probably seen him, Jason took one last breath and approached the woman he had not seen since Easter.

"Mother, it is wonderful to see you." He lied through clenched teeth and kissed both of her artificial cheeks. Helen kissed both of his in greeting.

"Jason, how wonderful to see you dear. I did not know you would be attending tonight's event." She cordially looped her arm through his and proceeded to drag him further into the crowd.

"It was the spur of the moment decision. That I promise you."

"I can see. I am glad you chose to wear Lauren. It would be a shame if you walked around here wearing one of Jackson's choices. It's a shame really that you refuse to see the family tailor." She took a piece of bruschetta from off a tray. "I heard Ms. McLean is back in New York."

"Yes," Jason would let her continue on her rant. Helen would feel better when she got her emotions off her chest.

"Darling, you are almost 30 years old with a promising career in law enforcement. Don't you think you should settle down? Behind every man is a competent woman and behind every career is a power couple."

"Mother I am not planning on running for any legislative position. And I am only twenty-seven. I have enough time to choose a partner."

"How unfortunate that you turn down marriage. Your brothers are all settling down in their careers with wives and children, I hoped you would be the same." It was the same manipulating tone he heard in his ear since he was child. Helen valued marriage and power more than happiness, which is why she was bound to his lousy father, Zachariah.

"Oh well, I suppose you wouldn't mind if I introduced you to some associates of mine." Helen smiled coyly and maneuvered the pair to speak to the first politician of the hour.

Jason found himself exhausted from the schmoozing and empty conversations he had with various people. He had talked to the mayor and his wife, the stock brokers who worked on Wall Street, a few architects, most politicians living near Manhattan, and still his stepmother was dragging him along.

"And I told him that— "

"Honey, I brought our son." Jason was pulled from his musing when Helen called him out. In front of him stood his father, Zachariah Sanford, and Mr. Dare.

"Father," He said stiffly.

"Hello Grace. Are you enjoying the party?" Wallace Dare asked. Wallace Dare was a thin man, with thick reddish brown hair and a polished look that contrasted the opinions his own daughter held of him. Zachariah, on the other hand, was tall, overbearing man with a loud voice and an ego that measured to be the size of Asia, perhaps even more.

"The party is certainly remarkable, Mr. Dare. I assure you I won't forget this night."

"That's good, my boy. Tell me, how is it fairing at the station?" His father turned his impressive gaze on him and Jason could feel the room spark with tension.

"We've made some leads. McLean is back to do interrogations and we have suspects in custody." He only said what they wanted to hear. With his father as governor, there were some facts he just could not hide.

"Wonderful. Now this scandal will end and my poll numbers will rise." There was a subtle malicious glint in his eyes that communicated its message—either Jason put an end to this mess or Sanford would put an end to his career.

"I am sure it will." Jason nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I see some companions I need to get back to." He excused himself to move through the crowd, hearing many pointed whispers about some new comers.

"I can't believe they came!"

"They haven't been public since before the funeral."

"He's handsome." Jason looked up at the entrance.

Coming down the stairs was a beautiful pairing. The woman was slender and dark skinned, with her curls pinned in an exotic bun and held together with diamond clamps. Her dress clung to her figure and a slit was located around the right leg that went up to her thigh. Even in her ensemble, the woman seemed to embody a sense of poise and innocence beyond comparison. The man holding her up was more interesting to Jason. The wavy hair, high cheekbones, plump lips, and Armani suit belonged to the person he met all those weeks ago. It was Nico. And the crowd was going wild.

Nico listened as the crowd clapped and excitedly chattered about the arrival of the infamous Michel heirs. Hazel was being the little heart stopper she was, leaning away from him to embrace Will. Rachel came up to him and stretched up to kiss his cheek. She went back down to her toes and grinned.

"I'm so glad you came." The red-head enthused.

"We would not miss it." Hazel assured. "Although you could have given us more warning. Nico made me go out and buy the first dress that fit."

"Well you look stunning." Will complemented and then whistled when his attention settled on Nico. "Nice,"

"Rachel, call off your dog." Nico smirked.

"He's not my dog, he's my boyfriend." Rachel slapped his arm.

"Same thing." Nico laughed.

"I love how you criticize me." Will scowled.

"I'm your ex-boyfriend. I am supposed to demean you in any way possible."

"Nico di Angelo," A voice behind him uttered. He turned around to see Octavian.

Octavian was a brazen man. He worked as the editor and chief of the Apollo Sun, in charge of keeping the paper together. While many resorted to the New York Times, the Sun had enough followers to stay in business. More than enough loyal followers anyway. Nico's lips thinned with barely concealed disgust.

"Octavian." He said.

"Oh, and Ms. Levesque." Even Hazel was put off by him and merely nodded in greeting. "When did you get back? We were hoping to cover your return for the last month's issue."

"Why should the media be prioritized by me? Obviously there are more important people to interview."

"Let's just say after last year's disastrous events, it would be preferable to see that the Michel legacy did not vanish into thin air simply out of grief. There have been a lot of deaths, fourteen if I'm counting correctly, all related to the same criminal activity that killed your sister. Its insinuated that you left because you couldn't handle the grief." If Nico was holding something, he either would have hit Octavian in the head or crushed it. He never liked the thin man much and now was certainly not the time to lose his temper. Bianca's death was an unmentionable topic. No one should use her death as a mockery, a slander to his family name. Hazel moved forward, staring icily at the reporter.

"No offense, Mr. Argent, but we are here to enjoy a party and not focus on past grievances. We can continue this conversation at a later date if you would prefer, but I am going to decline, on the behalf of the both of us, to make a statement for you to use in tomorrow's headline. If you'll excuse us, I want to dance." Hazel pushed past him, dragging Nico.

"You know there is no space to dance." Nico commented.

"And you know that man is a pig and a menace." She replied sharply. Then, she exhaled. "I won't let him get a rise out of us."

Nico smiled down at her before pulling her through the crowded hall. They grabbed drinks from a serving tray and watched as Rachel continued to greet other guests. They sipped on the fuzzy champagne and continued to merely walk around and gaze at a few of the pieces.

"I like that one the most." Hazel pointed to a classic work of art; the dynamic was off the beach, a man's foot was entrenched in the sand and water while his children ran around him laughing. "It is simple."

Nico only nodded. Rachel was known for her mix of undertones and overtones. Most of her presentations included down-to-earth collages with a few dramatic sketches interwoven for a more cohesive effect. Tonight's team was obviously normal life. At least, that was what Nico was guessing based on the lack of Greek statues that seems to dominate her creativity.

"It's one of my favorites." Rachel suddenly appeared beside them, her green dress elegant and still. "Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to some of my friends." She smiled and Hazel nodded.

"Sure. Come on, Nico." He rolled his eyes but followed to two women out to the middle of the floor. Together they make their way to a largish group in the center. And he recognizes some of them—Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth—before his eyes rest on one familiar person. The man turns around, his eyes wide with recognition and Nico hides a similar face behind a mask of impassiveness.

"Hello Jason." The words fall from his mouth bringing up memories of a wonderful night that Nico worked so hard to keep buried. Ultimately, that would not be happening tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Something Good Can Work

Cops vs. Gang AU

"Amazing work here," Piper smiled at him. Standing across from her, Jason could only nod at her. He had avoided her at all costs over the past few weeks, wanting absolutely nothing to do with her. Perhaps he had been a little unfair with his conduct, but Jason had been more than a little offended by her remarks.

"Rachel is good at what she does."

"Jason, I know that you have been avoiding me."

"There is nothing to really talk about." She shook her head with a frown.

"I've been trying to apologize to you and you won't let me. I've said some pretty insensitive things and I know that you are angry. That's why I've been trying to make amends." Piper moved closer to him, her white gown gliding across the floor.

"If I did not want to hear what you had to say a week ago, what makes you think I want to hear it now?" Jason desperately wanted to be swallowed by their sea of friends. It was easier to block off the conversation when he had distractions, like work or trying to reconnect with Nico. Now that he knew Nico was at the party, he would keep an eye out for him, but the universe definitely wanted him to patch up with Piper. "If you haven't noticed Pipes, the conditions of my love life are no longer in your hands. You can't flaunt that fact when we're around friends. Or did you really not care?" He questioned but walked toward her nonetheless. Piper was nothing but persistent and it was her doggedness that attracted him to her before. Once the conversation was over, he would go around to try and enjoy the rest of his night.

"I opened my mouth because I was jealous. I was unaccustomed to the idea of you having anyone else but me and I handled it very poorly. And I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of everyone and I didn't mean to imply that you were a man slut." Jason cracked a grin and she giggled. She was pleading with him and Jason looked into her kaleidoscope eyes. They were earnest orbs of fragmented colors, filled with honesty and forgiveness and Jason could not help but break under their gaze.

"Okay,"

"Okay?" She questioned.

"Yes, I accept your apology." Piper laughed.

"For someone so hardheaded and stubborn, you sure break under pressure."

"Just for you, Pipes." She embraced him in a hug and looked over to their over friends, who were not so subtly eavesdropping on their reunion.

"I meant what I said before. I want to be just friends with you and I don't want things to be awkward. I'll have to work on my jealousy around you though." Piper admitted and kissed his cheek. She wrapped an arm around his waist and looked around.

That's how he found himself laughing through the evening, reconnecting with Piper and chatting with friends at Rachel's gala. Leo and Calypso shared news about Leo's latest invention, a toy dragon named Festus. Hylla arrived, dressed to match her sister, and smacked her lips on Thalia's, making the most of their friends release the most unpleasant of groans at their affection. It was then that Rachel made her way to the group, followed by Nico and his companion. He found himself extracting himself from Piper's arms as they approached and turned his head to properly face him.

"Hello Jason," Jason inhaled sharply as Nico nodded at him. He looked good, for someone who disappeared off of his radar long ago. He remembered waiting for the mysterious Nico to reappear at the Underworld, believing that the man had moved on and was nowhere near his social circle. Apparently they share the same friends.

"Nico," He said cordially.

"Guys, these are my friends that I have been telling you about, Nico and Hazel." Rachel announced.

"We already know Nico." Annabeth shook her head. "Welcome back to the states. When did you get back from your travels?"

"A month ago. I've been studying the rings of the business life." He responded.

"Nice to meet you Hazel. I'm Piper. I like your dress." Hazel enthusiastically shook hands with Piper.

"Thank you. My brother has good taste." She elbowed Nico, who shrugged.

"It looked good. Not really a taste thing than intuition." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"That's because it was none of your concern. Hazel, meet Percy Jackson, his girlfriend Annabeth Chase, and Thalia." Hazel smiled at them charmingly.

"You two know each other?" Jason could not help but intrude.

"We went to similar schools for a time." Percy confirmed. "I use to hang out with his sister."

"If that's the case, then how do you know him, Jason?" Thalia pursed her lips, arms crossed over her chest.

"Simple, we met at the Underworld a couple of weeks ago. We talked and had a few drinks, that was all. Nothing of importance."

"I'm nothing of importance. Gosh, Jason that hurts." Nico covered his heart and winced. "I expected a politer reaction from someone named Grace."

"And how do you know my last name? I never shared that with you." Nico leaned in, letting his mouth brush the shell of his ear.

"I've been in your apartment. You don't think that I didn't fact check you after we met?" He leaned back and Jason gave him an inquiring look. "I'm the son of a very important man, who has a lot of enemies."

"Just to indulge my curiosity, since you found it so appropriate to research me, who are you?" Nico snorted.

"God, do you even read the newspaper!" He laughed out loud. "Sorry, it's refreshing to know that someone doesn't assume my identity. My name is Nico di Angelo."

"Well, Mr. di Angelo, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." His friends were looking at them with expressions of bafflement, confusion, and, on Hazel's face, humor. While they never gave away the impression that they were more than friends with one another, it seems Hazel pinpointed on that fact. Jason had never given any indication of how they spent the rest of the night, which was in a more than casual setting, but neither man felt it important to air such business.

"Aw, Nico. How are you?" The entire group turned to see the new member. She was a taller woman, older by a few years. She looked at the group with disinterest before turning her eyes to Hazel. "And Hazel dear, we didn't go out shopping today."

"Nico took me out shopping." The woman nodded. "And are you going to introduce me to your little friends or do I have to find out on my own." The hairs on the back of Jason's neck tingled. It sounded like a threat but Nico only sighed.

"Melina Michel, my older sister. I thought you were working on the press release."

"I would have, but Father wanted eyes in this place. I must say, Ms. Dare your work is very amazing. Do you take commissions, I'm sure my mother would love a painting or two. We could have it in one of our offices, get you some more publicity as an artist." Her eyes glinted as she plowed through the conversation. Before Rachel could reply, "Here is my card. Think on it and get back to me in the next 48 hours and we can talk. Unfortunately, my siblings and I need to leave the party early. Jules is outside waiting to take Hazel back home and we need to head to the office to work out some details." Nico nodded.

"It was nice to meet all of you. We should meet up sometime." Hazel waved a hand at all of them.

Frank, who had been mostly quiet and watching Hazel, spoke up for the first time. "We meet on weekends, every Saturday at IHOP at 11:00. You should come." He blushed when he realized how earnest he sounded, but Hazel only nodded.

"I'll clear my schedule. Come on Nico. You can visit your boyfriend later." She dragged her brother after her, both trailing behind Melina.

"At least the sister is hot." Leo questioned and Calypso slapped the back of his head.

"Actually, I need to talk to him for a second. I will be back." Thalia moved away from them and followed the siblings. Jason could only look on. What was Thalia doing?

Nico could have lied to himself when he found Thalia waiting for him outside. He extracted himself from his sister's grasp and with a promise to meet at the office, he headed over to wear the woman was waiting in the shadows of an alley way. At the party, they had more or less ignored each other. Heck, Nico would have been happier if they continued the tradition, but he would possibly be seeing more of her this Saturday.

"Are you going to stare all day or are you going to do something?" It was a strange question, but it was the extent of Nico and Thalia's relationship. They're not known for being friends—no sharing nice words or cordial reminders. They bite and claw at each other like animals because it is the only way they know how.

"You look healthy." Thalia shrugged her shoulder. She tapped her shoes on the alley pavement. "Did the therapy help?"

"I never went to therapy." The words tasted sour in his mouth.

"Well, I assumed after you fled town, you needed something for your anxiety. You didn't even stick around— "

"Don't talk to me about what I did not do. It was your fault to begin with." He snapped. Thalia bristled and clenched her jaw.

"I couldn't have done anything. All this 'it's your fault' nonsense is bullshit. She made her choice."

"I hate you." He spat. "She wouldn't have done it if she wasn't busy climbing in bed with you."

"Don't you dare say that!" Thalia yelled.

"What, we all knew it. Even her fiancé knew something was wrong, just not that the person involved was you. A blind man could have saw how you two revolved around each other." Thalia walked closer and smacked his face.

"I loved your sister. You can't…you don't…just let it go. Nico, she's dead and we can't bring her back by arguing over whose fault it was."

"Then why did you wait for me in the corner. Was there something that you needed besides rubbing in my face how she died protecting you?" Nico threw his hands up exasperated.

"I know you slept with my brother." She whispered. Thalia licked her bottom lip before continuing. "I know he likes you. I could see it when he made you laugh, how the corner of his eyes lit up when you approached, how he shivered when you whispered in his ear."

"I can't help that your brother was a good fuck." He shrugged noncommittally. Thalia pushed him backward, deeper into the alleyway.

"Don't you dare talk about my brother like he's some piece of meat." She hissed. Nico nodded.

"I like him, too Thals. I…" He let the words settle and Thalia looked at him sharply.

"You are not allowed to like him like that. With what you are."

"Does your brother know what you do for a living?" Nico leaned against the cool brick. "Does he know what you do in the free time, when you and Hylla are not playing house?"

"No he doesn't know and you are not going to tell him." She barked.

"So, you are not going to tell him about me. We both know that neither of us live honest lives, Thalia. Your brother is a cop. He is going to learn about it eventually." Nico sighed. "I'm sorry."

"If it's any consolation, Bianca only talked about you as she died." Thalia stroked his cheek, where it smarted from her slap. The warm touch reminded him of his sister and he pushed Thalia's hair out of her face.

"She would have loved to see you wearing a dress." He was going to be honest with Thalia Grace for once. "I can't promise that nothing is going to happen to your brother if he gets involved. And I promise you, he will get involved."

Thalia nodded. "I know that. I just, promise me that when it happens, you'll look out for him." Her voice shook as she said. Nico did not have a doubt in his mind that she was thinking about what happened to his sister. "He's my little brother and the only family I have left and I can't lose him like I lost…"

Nico rested a hand on Thalia's cheek and tipped her head to look up at him. "You won't." He kissed her forehead. "Take care of yourself."

He started to walk out of the alley when Thalia shouted at him. "The warehouse, in two weeks, tell Melina." Then the two walked away from each other, forgetting they even had the conversation. Nico hung onto the last part of the conversation and almost laughed when a black Camaro pulled up. His uncle rolled down the window.

"How's my favorite nephew?" Nathan Thames leaned back in his seat. Nathan was only fourteen years older than Nico, who shook his head.

"Good. How's everything?"

"It's doing well. I saw you talking to Ms. Grace in the alley there. Anything you want to mention?"

"I ran into Chase and Jackson. I want them on the list." Nathan shook his head.

"You can't add everyone you hate to the list, son. That's not how this business works."

"Is it not? You think you attack the people you like—NO, you go after the ones you don't like." He huffed. "And don't add Thalia Grace. I want her to suffer more." The black Camaro peeled off into the night and Nico shrugged out of his suit jacket. He had work to do tonight, and this suit happens to be one of his favorites.

"We caught up to Alabaster Torrington tonight. Want to give him a visit?"

"You read my mind." He grinned and Nathan ruffled his hair. It was going to be a good night.

"So, Jason, did you enjoy the party last night?" Reyna was sitting on his desk, examining an old snow globe. Jason had just opened the door to his office when he was suddenly surrounded by the three most important women in the office. Ignoring the way he was about to be bum rushed, Jason removed his jacket and placed it on the coat rack.

"Of course I did." He walked. "You all did too."

"I'm not denying that we didn't have a good time. I was just making an observation. Have a seat Jason, Annabeth has an interesting theory she wants to share with us."

"It's my office. Shouldn't I be offering a seat to you?"

"Sit," Piper rolled out his desk chair and pushed him into it. Annabeth stood by his bulletin board, staring at the pictures and newspaper articles he had clipped together and tied with string.

"It's an intricate diagram, but I noticed that you outlined the source." She pointed a finger to the board, where the club was circled.

"When Piper questioned Crotone, he said the Underworld was the place to be. The Underworld is owned by Hadrian Michel. Crotone has been away for the past few weeks on a work project, so unfortunately we cannot get to him right now. But do you want to know the correlation?" Annabeth looked back at them before typing onto his computer and spinning the screen to face him.

"Crotone works at Michel Industries and is also a Board Member. If he is involved in criminal activity, which we suspect he is, and he was willing to offer his boss's venue as a recruiting center, it means Michel is involved."

"So we need an in on Michel." Piper surmised. "And this is where you come in."

"Me?" He questioned.

"You can use Michel's son to get close to him. Like undercover cop work. It's been a while since you've done that."

"I'm not going to pretend to be his friend in order to arrest his father. Can't we scrounge up evidence the classic way?" He protested. Reyna gave him an oily smile, too much teeth shown behind red lips.

"That's because you aren't going to be his friend. We don't care how you get the information, but we need you to get him to open up." Jason raised a confused eyebrow. Most of his relationships with these girls were determined by how he could move his eyebrows.

"You want me to sleep with him." He recoiled in horror. "And you're fine with pimping me out for this?" He turned to Piper. Annabeth answered his question.

"Nico is a very private individual. Even when we used to hang out, he would never reveal anything to me or Percy. So, we have to resort to the boyfriend tactic. I don't think Nico's has ever been in a relationship before so this could work." Annabeth shrugged.

"This is not right, at all." Jason breathed deeply through his nostrils.

"Look, its either you or Piper. But, last night we saw how he watched you. He's interested in you." Reyna conceded. "Or we get to the younger sister, but she's barely legal."

"You are all sick people." Jason huffed. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good," Reyna patted his cheek. "Don't worry. This assignment shouldn't be too long and then you can go back to dating girls. You probably won't even have to sleep with him."

"Too late for that." Their head swiveled to Piper. "What? I'm observant. You just coincidentally had drinks with the man the day before you went to IHOP. And how close he was to you, it really shows how well you two know each other." Jason blushed.

"I don't want to use him."

"You aren't using him. You're saving lives by doing what needs to be done. We have a meeting at IHOP to prepare for.

Saturday was a flurry of excitement. Unsurprisingly, Frank was excited at the prospect of seeing Hazel again. Percy and Thalia seemed to be bound by some kind of nervous energy, but Annabeth shrugged them off.

"Jason, it's nothing to worry about. We use to hang out with Bianca, and we weren't the nicest to Nico when we were growing up." Annabeth explained.

"You bullied him." Jason said flatly. Annabeth shook her head.

"No, I mostly ignored him. Percy, though, that was his hero when he was growing up. They have some bad blood between them that needs to air out."

Jason refused to let the matter go. He had done some research the previous night about the elusive Nico di Angelo. He was an enigma, an interesting piece to a puzzle that Jason had to solve. His sister, Bianca, had been twenty-eight at the time of her death. Nico, at age twenty, had studied abroad in Italy, opened his own gala, and returned to the states when his trip was over. He studied at Columbia University, graduated summa cum laude at his high school and was a national fencing champion. All of these facts were clinical, nothing explained his personality, his hobbies, or anything for Jason to properly formulate a plan. If he was going to be fake dating the guy, he should at least have a little background to work on.

Jason arrived a little early, in fact, the entire group did. Percy, Frank, and Clarisse were unaware of the plan and Jason hoped to keep his coworkers in the dark for as long as possible. His skin crawled at his future actions. He sat in his chair and placed his head on the table.

"Calm down," Reyna said.

"This is nauseating. My career goals and my morals are at conflict here, Rey." He gritted out.

"I'm sorry, but you're the best with this. I can't fake a relationship if I wanted to."

"No, you really can't." When they were together, Reyna never softened, still focused on her career. Watching her seduce a man would be equivalent to drinking gasoline. None of it would make sense. Thalia marched in, a scowl on her face.

"Your sister is working again." She grumbled.

"Can you blame her? She really wants her promotion." Reyna kissed Jason's forehead. "Relax, it will all be better soon."

Jason did not have any time to prepare. Just shy of 11:00, Hazel walked in with her brother. The two approached the table wearily, but visibly relaxed when they saw at the two empty chairs between Jason and Piper. Hazel seated herself next to Piper and patted the last empty seat for Nico to sit in. Nico slid in beside her and placed a large duffle bag under his seat.

"I'm glad you could make it." Annabeth said.

"Thank you for inviting us." The table was a little silent. They weren't sure what to do with newcomers. The table lineup had been the same for months.

"What's the duffle bag for?" Jason asked.

"Oh, those are my things for the studio." Hazel said.

"Studio?"

"I'm a dancer." And that broke the nervous tension.

"Oh really?"

"How long have you been dancing?"

"Anything you can show me?"

"LEO!" They were all laughing as Calypso started scolding Leo in rapid Spanish. Nico flushed a little.

"Your friend's girlfriend has a tongue on her." He looked at Jason, slightly afraid.

"You understand her?" Nico nodded.

"I speak Italian." Jason gave him a half smile.

"You learn it in school?"

"No, it's my native tongue." His answers were short. They gave an answer, but left more to be discovered. Jason internally groaned. He was going to have so much fun with this case. They ordered food and drink and laughed at Nico's pout when he couldn't get chocolate covered strawberries. The breakfast continued easily with Hazel acting as mediator between herself and her brother and the rest of the group.

"Oh, have you been had the sea wrap package? I'm telling you it is to die for. I've never felt so rejuvenated."

"You mean, you never felt more of the need to stick your toes in my face."

"Shut up, you liked it too." Hazel stuck her tongue out at him.

The jokes continued for the entirety of the meal. Hazel exchanged numbers with a majority of the group and blushed when she received Frank's. As for his person of interest, Nico seemed content to watch unless prompted to say something in response to Hazel. He never responded to Thalia, nodded at Annabeth when she made observations, and ignored Percy entirely. He seemed a little more receptive to Reyna's wit and cracked a grin or two when she made someone stumble in the conversation.

"Oh shoot, we have to go. Hazel say your goodbye's; we have to go." Nico leapt up, his chair screeching across the floor.

"It's time." Nico nodded. "Okay, well thanks again. I'll be back next week." Nico placed two twenties on the table for their meal. The two left the table and Annabeth made aborted head gestures.

"Babe you okay?" Percy asked.

"Oh God, just got ask him what you wanted to." Annabeth waved Jason away who laughed at her exasperation.

He jogged and met up with Nico just as they started to slide into the car.

"Hey, I know breakfast was a little awkward, but I would like it if I could see you again." Jason blurted, surprised by how truthful the words were. Nico gave him a sly grin and slid black shades over his eyes.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Grace?"

"I'm trying to." Jason leaned in. "Have dinner with me tomorrow."

"Aren't you a little forward?" Nico chuckled. "That was barely a question."

"Hazel, I am formally requesting that I can borrow your brother for dinner tomorrow. Answer for him."

Hazel peeked out of the car. "Take him!"

"So, will you go out with me tomorrow?" Jason crossed his arms and gave him a challenging smirk. Nico just huffed with amusement.

"Yes, you can take me out tomorrow. Does six work for you? We can meet there."

"That sounds great." Jason said.

"Great! I have to go, but—"Nico leaned forward to peck Jason's cheek. "I'm not as easy as you think I am. You're going have to work for it now, Jason." He slid into his car and closed the door behind him.

The car peeled off down the road and Jason let himself smile. He wasn't going to use Nico purely for his career. Instead, he would earn his trust, date him, and if anything concerning Michel came up, they would deal with it when it happened. Jason reentered the restaurant with a grin on his face. This was not going to backfire on him at all.

"Sir,"

"Yes,"

"They found remnants of Minos's body in the Hudson River."

"Excellent."

"Proceed as planned."

"Yes Sir."

The phone call disconnected and a dark grin spread over his lips.

 **END OF PART ONE**


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